Blackburn Rovers boss John Eustace says he will use the Middlesbrough FA Cup clash to give minutes to players who need them, but still expects his side to be competitive at the Riverside.

Six-time FA Cup winners Blackburn head to Teesside for the third round and, like Boro, have obvious priorities in the league as they make a serious push for a play-off place this season. Having reached round five and the quarter finals in the last two years though, Eustace is well aware of how special the competition can be.

Heading to Boro with six first-team players out injured (Yuki Ohashi, Lewis Travis, Arnor Sigurdsson, Hayden Carter, Scott Wharton and Harry Pickering), Eustace admits his ability to make changes to his side will be limited. They’ve also lost loan star Lewis Baker, who’s been recalled by Stoke City.

READ MORE: Isaiah Jones' potential Middlesbrough exit could prove the making of struggling summer signing

READ MORE: Emmanuel Latte Lath told why he should stay at Middlesbrough this month with Gus Hamer example

Eustace told the Lancashire Telegraph: “We haven’t got that many options, to be fair, to change that many bodies. We will try and give as many minutes as we can to players who need the minutes. We will see how we are on Friday, there are a few injured and ill today who didn’t train with us. They are only minor things, but we will have to see where we are and pick a team from there.

“We will go there and obviously try to win the game against a really good team. It will give us opportunities to play some players who need minutes as well, which is important, but we know that the team will be very competitive.”

Young striker Harry Leonard, 21, is hoping to be one player to benefit from the changes. He scored his first goal for Rovers in this competition 12 months ago but soon after suffered an injury that, after setbacks along the way, kept him out for 11 months. Now back in contention though, Leonard is hoping he gets the nod on Saturday.

“Whenever I am called upon, I feel ready now and will try to take my opportunities as best I can,” he said. “Obviously, Yuki is a big miss for everyone involved. He started really well and was coming into his own. That is how football works sometimes and I will try to do my best for the club and all the lads.

“(Saturday) is another against a Championship team so it is never easy. It is a game we will look to try and win to hopefully get through to the next round. We just need to take it game by game. We know we are good enough to pick up points in the league, we have shown that. It is just another game and we will do our best to get the win.”